Bluntly Reviews: Glasgow's cafes and coffee shops (City Centre, South, and East)
Hello to all Miistory blog's visitors! Be graceful guys because you have chose the right blog to read reviews! I am just a normal girl who loves to eat and travel. The best moment of going outside my house is that I able to capture nice pictures on the way. Especially that I have a chance to study aboard and this might be the only way that I can collect my memories during my stay.
I'm a current Master's degree student living in Glasgow for a year before I moved to Edinburgh. I'm gonna say that Glasgow is my most favourite city to stay in UK so far. The town is nice, convenient, great people and neighborhood. Luckily, I lived in the city centre so there is a lot of events going on. I usually left my accommodation and go for a walk in the city centre daily. Exploring around the city and finding new places to eat and drink. Normally, I will take my iphone out of my pocket and capture great photos just like a tourist. Yea I'm doing it for a year lol!
Let's head to the main point! We all comes here for food and drink right? :P
Starting with University of Strathclyde student favourite place to study. @_@
ICAFE MERCHANT CITY
iCafe are multi-award winning coffee house and internet cafe chain in Glasgow. They have many branches and offers good deals and discounts for students. I often come here for exam study mainly is because of free internet, they've got many seats and plugins socket for charging, and nice cosy atmosphere. To be frank, my laptop is freaking huge for other places, plus it needs to be charge all the time lol. I'm gonna say that it is the best choice for late reader like me because they close at 10pm.
Their food and drinks are quite nice as well, especially for sharing platters like pizza and nachos. Coffee quality is okay for coffee house chain. They also have homemade ice cream and daily pastries and bakes.
Other locations: Great Western Rd., Sauchiehall St., Woodlands Rd., and Kilmarnock.
Look for additional information on their website: http://www.icafe.uk.com/
RIVERHILL COFFEE BAR
A small coffee bar in the city centre with nice coffee from Dear Green, homemade bakeries, and sandwiches. I loveee their traybakes and seasonal cakes. I would recommend to go during off-peak time for a sit-in because there always a lot of people going in and out the shop. People usually go for takeaways so the cafe is always vibrant. They just closed their restaurant on West Nile Street. It's really ashamed that I haven't had any chance to try yet!!
Website: http://www.riverhillcafe.com/index-gordon-st.htm
GORDON STREET COFFEE
One great place for a quick coffee grab near Glasgow's Central Station. The cafe might not suitable for a long period of sitting in because it is too noisy and too many people going in and out. However, their coffee and cakes are very nice and it's one place that is worth to visit.
Website: http://www.gordonstcoffee.co.uk/
PICNIC CAFE
A great choice for people who love healthy diet food. They offers plant-based organic food for lunch and coffee, juices, and smoothies pairing with ranges of raw cakes. This cafe is suitable for vegans or people with limit dietary because all food are using animal product-free ingredients. I'm not a big fan of vegan food but I love their raw cakes <3 The cafe is decorated in a white theme with colorful furniture and it's the cutest cafe I have seen around Merchant city!
Website: http://picnic-cafe.co.uk/
TEMPO TEA BAR
It's one of Asian classic beverages shop. They've got one more branch in the West end and another one in Edinburgh. I usually go for matcha or taro milk tea. The classic milk tea is too sweet for me to finish. Students can get 10% off on Monday and they offers great deals occasionally. You can also collect points from Swipii card given in the shop.
Website: http://www.tempoteabar.com/
LABORATORIO ESPRESSO
One hidden gem in Glasgow city centre! Laboratorio espresso is an Italian inspired cafe with coffee specialty. It's a perfect place for having a cup of coffee with a nice fiction book to read. They've got freshly brewed coffee, sandwiches and bake goods. I can even smell their coffee by walking pass the shop! Yes, I admit I lost to the coffee scent almost every time I walked by lol.
Website: https://labespr.tumblr.com/
THE WILLOW TEA ROOMS
Willow tea rooms is one of the oldest tea rooms in Glasgow with a long history since 1983. Plus, great quality and consistency on homemade menus by using local ingredients. There are two branches, one on Buchanan Street and another one is at Watt Brother. I like their traditional scones and bake goods. I would say that it's gonna be the best choice for who is afraid of going out of their comfort zone. All food serve in British classics with its standard.
Website: https://www.willowtearooms.co.uk/
TAPA ORGANIC BAKERY
I only visited Tapa organic bakery once since it's quite far from my neighborhood. I was wandering around East End back then and finding a place to end up for sweet treat. This might be a great place for bakery goods but not for sitting in side the shop. I felt that the shop is too humid and sitting area around the shop is poorly done. On the bright side their Victoria sponge and matcha green tea latte is very nice!
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Tapa.organic/
MCCUNE SMITH CAFE
Mccune Smith Cafe is a great place for hot breakfast and lunch. The location is near the University of Strathclyde so the place is usually full of customers with takeaway orders. I would personally recommend their hot lunches, they are really nice <3 However, I don't think that their bakes are as good as hot food. It's ashamed that the cafe closing time is too soon for a night owl like me!
Website: https://www.mccunesmith.co.uk/
SINGL-END CAFE
Glaswegian foodies must know this cosy cafe and have already tried their popular dishes like full healthy Scottish breakfast, baked eggs, or eggs Benedict. I could say that this is one of my most favourite cafe in Glasgow. It's super highly recommend lol! Their food, bakeries, cakes, and beverages are at the perfection. Plus, they've got nice staffs that serve people professionally. The cafe is usually full especially on the weekends. One time I went to Singl-end for lunch on the weekends I need to wait for a table for almost half an hour because the queue was so long! I hope that they could control its standard and make good food for Glasgow as always.
Website: http://www.thesingl-end.co.uk/
OCHO CAFE
Newcomer cafe in 2017, Ocho Cafe it's might be a bit far from the city centre but it's worth to visit. The cafe is located at the Speirs Wharf canal which is Glasgow hidden gem landscape. A perfect place for brunch in a sunny day! They offers weekly dinner menu on every weekends.
Website: http://ochoglasgow.co.uk/
CAFE STRANGE BREW
I went to Cafe Strange Brew old cafe on the last day before it was moved to the current place. It's one of Glasgow cafes that is a current viral on Instagram and Facebook. The cafe decorations are very cute and staffs are very friendly. A popular dish in this cafe is That Guy! It's an avocado on toast with poached eggs <3 Toppings can be added on by our desire but I didn't. It was quite normal but I haven't tried their other dishes just yet. Maybe I will go back to try other dishes if I've got a chance to!!
Website: https://www.facebook.com/cafestrangebrew/timeline
SOUTHSIDE ROASTER
Southside Roaster is one lively coffee shop in Glasgow Southside. They sell their own brands of coffee beans. The coffee shop is very nice decorated with woody style. I was in a rush last time I visited, if I had a chance I would definitely go again!
Website: https://www.southsideroasters.co.uk/
CUP TEAROOMS
Cup tea lounge is one great place for cupcakes. They have ranges of nice cupcakes with special ones on festivals. The lounge has a nice deal on afternoon tea. I had a friend who loves cupcakes, she said that they've got the best variety of selections in the town. With their great consistency on the menu, they now have two branches in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh.
Website: https://cuptearooms.co.uk/
W.CAFE IN WATERSTONES
Cafe W. by Waterstones is my favourite place for reading, especially when I am bored of University library lol. They serve hot food, bake goods, and nice beverages. I usually go to Sauchiehall street branch, there are two cafes; one in the basement floor and another one on the second floor. I would personally recommend this cafe because I love the atmosphere and they serve nice cakes <3 Like Nutella and Cadbury muffins, chocolate brownies, tiffins, carrot cake, and British classic like Victoria sponge cake. I can enjoy sweet treat while reading my favourite books!!
Website: https://www.waterstones.com/bookshops/glasgow-sauchiehall-
These are just some of my most visited cafes when I lived in Glasgow. Cafes that I review are not all based on quality of food but also services, cafe decorations, and atmosphere.
If you want me to try out any cafe please send direct message on Facebook and Instagram! I'm very looking forward to try and review new places!!
Thank you for reading !! <3
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